The present invention relates to surgical equipment such as operating tables, and more particularly to a novel auxiliary table which may be detachably mounted on an operating table for supporting a surgeon's hands during, for example, eye surgery. The auxiliary table is provided for stabilizing the ophthalmologist's hands and wrists and, if necessary, the forearms during eye surgery.
It is recognized that during delicate eye operations some type of support for the ophthalmologist's hands is highly advantageous. This is because surgical operations for cataracts, defective corneas, etc. are extremely minute and require delicate, precise hand movements by the ophthalmologist. An example of a prior art auxiliary table for use in microsurgery is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,217, entitled "Arm and Hand Rest Device for Microsurgery". The patent discloses an arm and hand rest device which utilizes a horizontally disposed board for insertion between a patient's body and an operating table for retaining the device in a desired position with relation to the patient's body. A pair of separate tables are mounted on the horizontally disposed board and project upwardly therefrom located in a position adjacent the patient's head during an operation. Each of the tables includes means for vertical adjustment to different levels relative to one another. The surgeon's hands may be supported by the tables during eye surgery.
Another example of a device for use by an ophthalmologist is disclosed in the June, 1980, "Occutome/Fragmatome News Letter". The disclosure set forth in the news letter pictures and describes a so-called wrist rest and head rest combination for use by ophthalmologists to allow maximum clearance between the surgeon's knees and the operating table. Basically, the disclosure set forth in the news letter includes an arcuate, bar-like wrist rest which is adjustably mounted in a vertical direction on a head rest. Projecting from the head rest are elongate members for insertion into corresonding aligned bores in an operating table.
While it is recognized that supporting devices, such as described above, are advantageous, nonetheless such devices are deficient from a number of points. By way of explanation, preparing a patient for eye surgery requires that the patient initially be placed or rolled onto an operating table. During positioning of the patient, it is apparent that an auxiliary table must be positioned remote from the patient in order to prevent the patient from contacting the auxiliary table. Additionally, it should be recognized that a patient will be "draped" during an eye operation--this refers to the placing of a protective drape over the patient's head and body which is provided with an aperture for permitting access to the subject eye. It may be appreciated that the drape will tend to cling to the patient's body and head and in particular to areas around the patient's nose and mouth. Should the patient be under "local" anesthesia, the drape may interfere with normal breathing. If the patient is under a "general" anesthesia, the anesthesiologist needs to regulate and monitor the patient's breathing through the use of a tracheal tube during the duration of surgery.
In either case, it is necessary for room to be provided between the bottom of the drape and the patient's nose and mouth region, i.e. under local anesthesia, the patient must have breathing room, and under general anesthesia sufficient free space must be available between the bottom of the drape and the patient's nose and mouth region so that the surgeon may adjust and monitor the tracheal tube. With prior art head rest devices, as well as during operations not utilizing an auxiliary arm and hand rest, the anesthesiologist or nurse must manually pick up or elevate the drape adjacent the patient's nose and mouth in order to provide the required space.
Additionally, draping of the patient also creates another problem, namely: the drape, tending to cling to the patient's head, forms a curved surface so that liquids administered to the eye during operation tend to flow off the curved surface and drip to the floor of the operating room causing a slippery surface. This situation obviously presents a dangerous circumstance because the ophthalmologist and the various attendants may slip and fall.
The present invention seeks to overcome the above problems, amongst others. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel auxiliary table for use with an operating table comprising a support means having a substantially planar upper surface for supporting a surgeon's hands which is connected to the operating table by a mounting means secured to the support means. The mounting means enables the support means to be selectively oriented or shifted from a preoperative position remote from a patient's head to an operative position overlying the patient's head. The selective orientation may take place while the auxiliary table is maintained in a mounted position on the operating table. More particularly, the auxiliary table is constructed so that the mounting means includes a base means provided with pivot means so that the base means (secured to the support means) may be angularly displaced from the preoperative position to the operative position, whereby the base means engages the operating table for being supported thereon.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary table, as described above, in which the pivot means includes a rod means from which projecting means or "fingers" extend for detachable inserting into bore means provided in an end of the operating table. The base means is provided with sleeve means for rotatably receiving the rod means so that the base means, together with the support means, may be pivoted downwardly beneath the upper surface of the operating table, adjacent an end thereof, so that an entirely free area is presented on the operating table. The patient may then be rolled onto the operating table without any impediment from the auxiliary table. The mounting means and support means may be angularly displaced upwardly along an arcuate path so as to be positioned in the operative position overlying the patient's head.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary table, as described above, in which the base means is provided with an upstanding member extending generally upright therefrom above the planar upper surface of the support means for enabling a drape positioned over the patient's head to be elevated above the patient's nose and mouth region.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary table, as described above, in which an instrument tray may be detachably mounted on the upstanding member in proximal location to the ophthalmologist's hands. The tray is provided for carrying surgical instruments or the like.
These and additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be more completely understood from a consideration of the drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.